


If I Stay

by HunterRaider



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Character Development, Eventual relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Graphic violence in later chapters, Jo’s brother is mean and the Junimos help out, My First Fanfic, Real World References, Semi Slow Burn, Shane and Player Friendship, Slice of Life, Violent character backstory, lots of fluff, lots of magic, there is magic, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-27 23:29:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14436492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HunterRaider/pseuds/HunterRaider
Summary: Joey is on the run from a tragic event that has shook her life to it's core. Upon moving to Pelican town she encounters a group of ragtag friends that might be able to help her out better than the therapist she's been seeing.This is a story of learning to let go of past situations and learning to love yourself.There will be minor mentions of Sam/Alex, and Abigail getting jealous of how close Sebastian are getting.





	If I Stay

_ HIRAETH – HEER-eyeth – (n.) a homesickness for a home you can’t return to, or that never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past. _

 

Bouncing her knee as the bus pulled through a tunnel, Joey bit her lip before letting out a nervous sigh. She’d finally broke down and pulled out her grandfather’s old letter that she was given when she fifteen. Ten years ago. It was hard breaking away from her established ties, but this was a second chance and a new lease on life. She’d only visited her grandfather on his farm once, right before he died when he gave her the letter. In the years that had passed, her family and it’s dysfunction only grew until her older brother had lost it and she had ended up alone. In the wake of the tragedy, Joey packed up her few belongings and placed her pets with a trusted friend before taking the letter and claiming what laid inside, the deed to her late grandfather’s farm, Amber Hills.

Looking up as the bus pulled up alongside a curb to the town, Joey swallowed nervously before standing and pulling on one carry on bag, and shouldering the strap to her acoustic guitar case before exiting the to grab the three other duffel bags that she had from the cargo hold when she was approached by an older woman, about her mother’s age. Weakly smiling at the woman, Joey haphazardly brushed her blue bangs out of her face.

“Hello there! You must be the new farmer!” The red haired woman cheerfully said in greeting as Joey nodded meekly. “I’m Robin, the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis sent me out to take you to the farm.” Robin said with a warm smile, noticing how exhausted looking the young woman before her looked. “Oh dear, do you have any more bags or is this all of them?” She questioned softly before picking up two of the bags without hesitation.

“Thank you Robin, I’m Joey, but please, call me Jo unless I’m in trouble.” The blue banged adult said with a soft chuckle as her eyes sparked slightly at the friendly banter. “This is all of my bags but I do have a bike on the back that I need to grab.” Jo said as she placed her carry on down and moved to the bike rack to pull out a scrappy little motorized bicycle. Wheeling it out and around to where her bags sat, Jo smiled shyly as Robin gasped at the little bike.

“That’s the neatest looking bike I’ve ever seen!” The older woman gushed as Jo flushed at the adoration that seeped out of Robin’s voice.

“It’s nothing too special, it was one of the last things I bought before leaving the city and headed out here since I think it’ll come in handy with its space for bag storage.” Joey mumbled with a shy, but steady, voice.

“Well enough chit chat, let’s head on to the farm!” Robin said excitedly as she hoisted the bag. “Maybe you and that bike could break my son out of his shell..” Robin wondered aloud as Jo flushed a bit. “You’re both probably about the same age, so you should definitely come by and try to meet him some time!” The red haired woman said, getting excited at the prospect of having the new farmer visit her on the daily.

“Maybe.. I would like to see how I settle in first..” Jo said softly as she walked alongside the cheerful woman.

Robin and Jo continued to converse in soft tones as they approached the farmland that was outlined in the will that he had left her when he’d passed away, and Joey got giddier the closer they drew to the old house. When Jo and Robin stopped just past the front gate, the younger woman could only balk at all the overgrown weeds, trees, and stray stones. “Jesus! This place is so overgrown! Had I known it would get this bad, I would have moved here sooner..” Jo said guiltily as she kicked her foot at a stray stone only to send it tumbling towards what looked like a pond.

“What’s the matter Jo? Sure it’s a bit overgrown, but there’s still some good soil under all of it.” Robin said cheerfully, trying to soothe the young now farmer’s mind.

“It’s just.. It’s gonna take me weeks, months even, to clean all this up..!” Jo said as she stared out at the mess of acreage that panned out in front of her.

“Oh nonsense, just clear a little at a time and use that. While you wait for your crops to grow, you can clear out more land and rinse and repeat.” Robin said matter of factly, as if she’d rehearsed this before. “With a little dedication, you’ll have it cleaned up in no time.” She said sweetly and placed a comforting hand on Jo’s shoulder.

Walking up onto the house, Robin smiled gracefully and welcomed Jo to her new home as an older gentleman exited the inside of the dilapidated cabin. “Ah! The new farmer! Glad to finally meet you.” He said in a warm voice. “Welcome to Pelican Town. I’m Mayor Lewis.” He said easily as Jo introduced herself to the older man.

“You know practically everyone’s been asking about you since it’s not every day that someone new moves in. It’s quite a big deal for everyone to acquaint themselves with the newcomers.” Mayor Lewis said with a warm smile, gently taking Jo’s hand and shaking it in a very welcoming manner.

After some odd moments of silence, Mayor Lewis shifted and spoke again. “So.. You’re moving into your grandfather’s old cottage.” The older man said as he gazed out at the rundown building. “It’s a good house, just very.. Rustic..“ Lewis coughed as Robin snorted in amusement.

“Rustic? That’s one way to put it for sure.” The red headed woman said, holding back her laughter. “Crusty might be a little more apt for its state..” She trailed as Mayor Lewis bristled.

“Rude!” He grunted as he pulled an unamused face at the carpenter. “Don’t listen to her Jo, she’s just trying to make you dissatisfied so you’ll end up buying one of her house upgrades.’ Mayor Lewis said as Robin got a horrified look on her face and chimed in with a weak ‘I would never.’ as the mayor glared at her.

“Anyways.. You must be tired from your long journey here. Go ahead and get some rest. Tomorrow you should try to explore the town a bit and introduce yourself. The townspeople would appreciate that.” The mayor said as he turned as started to walk off with the carpenter before pausing and turning back.

“Oh I almost forgot. If you have anything to sell, just place it in the box here and I’ll come by in the night to pick it up.” He told Joey with a small wave before exiting the farm with the carpenter as Jo waved back at them.

Stepping up onto the porch, Joey turned around and looked out at the overgrown pastures and fields and let out a slow sigh. “He’s right. I really should get some rest. Farm life starts early after all.” She said out loud, trying to fill the empty space with noise. Turning away from the sight of the fields, Joey pushed the door open, founding that it wanted to stick in the doorway.

She was dismayed at the sight of the interior of the Cabin. It was bare and almost everything that wasn’t fixed was covered in dust. Shuddering at the idea of cleaning this all up, Joey deposited her bags near the bed and went to go grab the others and wheel her bike into the house. But hey, at least it was _hers_ and _hers_ alone. No need to pay rent to anyone, no stupid rules on what she can and can’t do. It was all her own. This was a good way to start out her new life, even though she bitterly missed her old one.

Changing into her pajamas, Joey sighed and started to unpack what few things she had. Mostly clothes that she could afford to grab. Jeans, graphic tees, a few pairs of boots. Just the necessities to get her along. The rest she’d have her friends ship her over time since she couldn't bare the thought of going back to the city to pick it up. With a shudder Joey ran her fingers along the case of her guitar before deciding to pull it out and sit on the bed, absentmindedly picking at the strings.

“This is my temporary Home. It's not where I belong. Windows in rooms that I'm passin' through. This is just a stop, on the way to where I'm going. I'm not afraid because I know this is my temporary home." Joey mumble-sang before sitting the guitar off to the side of the bed. Pulling the blankets over her body, she reached out and clicked off the slight before fading out into a rough, but dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one is more or less the same old intro to the game. I'll try to post often and keep you updated with constant chapters and art!
> 
> For now have a day 1 pic of Jo and what she rolled into town with!  
> http://ayy-this-is-a-blog.tumblr.com/post/173304476850/main-character-of-my-stardew-valley-fic-her-name


End file.
